More Government to Protect Us From Ourselves
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Putting more and more wolves in charge of guarding the henhouse might characterize the big problems we’ve now created for ourselves.
Government is growing. The private economy is shrinking. Those wielding political power see fewer and fewer problems they believe private citizens can solve on our own. Soon, each one of us will have our own personal guardian bureaucrat.
The real difference between us and the hens is that the hens are not paying for the wolves’ salaries and benefits.
This past week new rules governing our credit cards kicked in, following passage of the Credit Card Accountability and Responsibility Act, signed into law last year.
The point of the CARD Act is to protect us consumers from the scheming bankers from whom we get our credit cards.
As result of these new protections, consumers can be grateful that credit card interest rates are the only interest rates that are not now dropping. According to the Wall Street Journal, the average card interest rate is now 1.6% higher than last year and the gap between credit card rates and the prime lending interest rate is the highest it’s been in 22 years.
More good news for consumers is that there is less credit available. The average credit limit on new cards being issued is down 11% from last year.
And, because the CARD Act implements new rules limiting the flexibility that banks have, for example, in changing rates on balances of overdue accounts or on exceeding credit limits, banks are simply finding new ways to raise revenue.
Over the last year median annual fees on cards increased 18% and median fees on cash advances increased 33%.
It’s hard for our politicians, who are busy spending our money and raising our taxes so we can pay them to protect us, to grasp that there is a private economy in our country with private businesses that earn their living serving consumers. And that when regulators start telling them what to do, businesses must find alternative ways to provide their services and earn a living or shut down.
Equally hard for politicians to grasp is that if our private economy is left free, it’s competitive. So if consumers are not getting a good deal, and there is a better deal to be had, a competitor will step in and offer it. Nor can power loving politicians fathom that, except in the case of our new health care law, in which government will force private citizens to buy government defined health insurance, citizen consumers are free to do and buy what they like.
There are no penalties or interest payments for credit card holders who pay their bills on time. So those allegedly getting protection by these new rules are those who choose not to. Those who do pay on time now will pay higher fees to finance these new protections. And, it will be harder to get cards, which will hurt low income families that liberals supposedly care so much about.
There’s even more good news in store for those who think freedom is the root cause of our financial problems.
Soon we will have the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection in place, as result of the Dodd-Frank financial regulation bill just signed into law. The new bureau was set up in about 400 pages of the several thousand page bill, and, with a $500 million dollar budget and several thousand employees, will protect us in every other aspect of our financial lives.
It’s good that our politicians are getting our financial affairs in order for us.
Proof that we can rely on them is that our government debt is now almost 60% of our GDP and projected to reach 100% by 2020. Standard & Poor’s has just indicated that the AAA rating of US government bonds may have to be reduced, showing that the United States is now a credit risk.
Star Parker
Star Parker is the founder and president of CURE, the Coalition for Urban Renewal & Education, a 501c3 think tank which explores and promotes market based public policy to fight poverty, as well as author of White Ghetto: How Middle Class America Reflects Inner City Decay.
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Tuesday, August 31, 2010
FROM TOWNHALL
The Real "Radicals"
Email William Wilson
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Sign-Up There was a time in the not-too-distant past – 234 years ago to be precise – when the ideas articulated by the Tea Party movement would have rightly been considered “radical.”
Not just radical in their ideological composition, either, but radical in the more “irrational” sense – in that advancing these ideas was a good way to wind up dead. And that’s exactly what happened to more than 25,000 American Revolutionaries – patriots who gave their lives in order to provide the liberty we enjoy today (and which we now aspire to pass down to future generations).
From its founding documents to the blood that was shed on its battlefields, the American Revolution was by definition “radical.” According to Merriam-Webster, that means it was “marked by a considerable departure from the usual or traditional,” and “tending or disposed to (making) extreme changes in existing views, habits, conditions, or institutions.”
It was also quite clearly “advocating extreme measures” to bring about a new “state of political affairs.”
And the “radical” idea succeeded – not only in casting off the yoke of Eighteenth Century imperialist oppression, but in forging an entirely unique model of democratic governance. This new nation, “conceived in liberty” two-and-a-quarter centuries ago, followed the blueprint laid out by its Founding Fathers and within a few short generations became the richest, strongest, most freedom-loving nation the world has ever seen.
Meanwhile, nations which were built on counter-ideologies of collectivism, government control, censorship and command economic planning have failed spectacularly – at a tremendous human cost.
In recent decades, however, politicians of both parties in Washington D.C. have inexplicably abandoned America’s founding blueprint and embraced many of these failed ideologies. Thanks to this fundamental ideological shift, the primary source of America’s strength, wealth and freedom – its people – has been greatly diminished.
Now the final “radical” offensive – the one that threatens to bring down our democracy once and for all – is being implemented by Barack Obama and his socialist hordes. In the name of “Wall Street reform,” the federal government has taken over the financial industry (while conveniently ignoring its own starring role in the most recent economic collapse). In the name of “health care reform” it has socialized medicine and mandated that Americans either purchase insurance or pay huge fines to the government. In the name of “environmental protection” it has proposed the largest energy tax increase in American history. And in the name of “economic recovery” it has spent trillions of dollars to grow government while small businesses are going under by the thousands and families are struggling to make ends meet.
As a result of these policies, America’s debt and deficit are at record levels. Meanwhile, millions of Americans remain unemployed with another major economic contraction looming – a “double-dip” recession that will only deepen when dozens of tax increases take effect in 2011.
While both Republican and Democratic politicians have led us here – sacrificing American freedom and prosperity on the altar of government’s insatiable appetite for more money and more power – there is something especially sinister about Obama’s machinations. Like master propagandists of old, Obama has not only veiled his anti-American agenda under the generically-comforting banners of “hope” and “change,” he has also sought to create a foil – a group of antagonists that he can label as the “real radicals.”
In fact, in Obama’s world these “real radicals” are the very people who are fighting to restore fiscal sanity, common sense principles, fundamental fairness and founding wisdom to our government.
“The White House has tried to link the Republican Party with the fledgling conservative-libertarian tea party coalition — and demonize the combination as too extreme for the country,” a recent Associated Press article noted.
Indeed, a full-court press has been initiated by the Obama administration with the goal of portraying the Tea Party as outside of the American “mainstream.” Several establishment Republicans desperate to hold onto their seats at the taxpayer-funded table have joined the chorus, too.
And perhaps Obama – for once – is correct. Not in an ideological sense, obviously, but perhaps our overreaching federal government and its legacy media apologists have successfully branded supporters of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” as the real “kooks” in this country.
If that’s the case, then the definition of “radical” has truly come full circle – and the only difference between today’s Tea Partiers and those who gathered in Boston Harbor in 1773 is the source of their oppression.
Such a movement may seem “radical” to Obama and his media elites, but in truth it is not only entirely consistent with American values – it is the last, best hope for their survival.
Email William Wilson
Columnist's Archive Share Buzz 0diggsdigg
Sign-Up There was a time in the not-too-distant past – 234 years ago to be precise – when the ideas articulated by the Tea Party movement would have rightly been considered “radical.”
Not just radical in their ideological composition, either, but radical in the more “irrational” sense – in that advancing these ideas was a good way to wind up dead. And that’s exactly what happened to more than 25,000 American Revolutionaries – patriots who gave their lives in order to provide the liberty we enjoy today (and which we now aspire to pass down to future generations).
From its founding documents to the blood that was shed on its battlefields, the American Revolution was by definition “radical.” According to Merriam-Webster, that means it was “marked by a considerable departure from the usual or traditional,” and “tending or disposed to (making) extreme changes in existing views, habits, conditions, or institutions.”
It was also quite clearly “advocating extreme measures” to bring about a new “state of political affairs.”
And the “radical” idea succeeded – not only in casting off the yoke of Eighteenth Century imperialist oppression, but in forging an entirely unique model of democratic governance. This new nation, “conceived in liberty” two-and-a-quarter centuries ago, followed the blueprint laid out by its Founding Fathers and within a few short generations became the richest, strongest, most freedom-loving nation the world has ever seen.
Meanwhile, nations which were built on counter-ideologies of collectivism, government control, censorship and command economic planning have failed spectacularly – at a tremendous human cost.
In recent decades, however, politicians of both parties in Washington D.C. have inexplicably abandoned America’s founding blueprint and embraced many of these failed ideologies. Thanks to this fundamental ideological shift, the primary source of America’s strength, wealth and freedom – its people – has been greatly diminished.
Now the final “radical” offensive – the one that threatens to bring down our democracy once and for all – is being implemented by Barack Obama and his socialist hordes. In the name of “Wall Street reform,” the federal government has taken over the financial industry (while conveniently ignoring its own starring role in the most recent economic collapse). In the name of “health care reform” it has socialized medicine and mandated that Americans either purchase insurance or pay huge fines to the government. In the name of “environmental protection” it has proposed the largest energy tax increase in American history. And in the name of “economic recovery” it has spent trillions of dollars to grow government while small businesses are going under by the thousands and families are struggling to make ends meet.
As a result of these policies, America’s debt and deficit are at record levels. Meanwhile, millions of Americans remain unemployed with another major economic contraction looming – a “double-dip” recession that will only deepen when dozens of tax increases take effect in 2011.
While both Republican and Democratic politicians have led us here – sacrificing American freedom and prosperity on the altar of government’s insatiable appetite for more money and more power – there is something especially sinister about Obama’s machinations. Like master propagandists of old, Obama has not only veiled his anti-American agenda under the generically-comforting banners of “hope” and “change,” he has also sought to create a foil – a group of antagonists that he can label as the “real radicals.”
In fact, in Obama’s world these “real radicals” are the very people who are fighting to restore fiscal sanity, common sense principles, fundamental fairness and founding wisdom to our government.
“The White House has tried to link the Republican Party with the fledgling conservative-libertarian tea party coalition — and demonize the combination as too extreme for the country,” a recent Associated Press article noted.
Indeed, a full-court press has been initiated by the Obama administration with the goal of portraying the Tea Party as outside of the American “mainstream.” Several establishment Republicans desperate to hold onto their seats at the taxpayer-funded table have joined the chorus, too.
And perhaps Obama – for once – is correct. Not in an ideological sense, obviously, but perhaps our overreaching federal government and its legacy media apologists have successfully branded supporters of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” as the real “kooks” in this country.
If that’s the case, then the definition of “radical” has truly come full circle – and the only difference between today’s Tea Partiers and those who gathered in Boston Harbor in 1773 is the source of their oppression.
Such a movement may seem “radical” to Obama and his media elites, but in truth it is not only entirely consistent with American values – it is the last, best hope for their survival.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Employee 'Forced' Choice Act Could Add Billions in Pending to Union Coffers
by Katie Packer
Since the vast majority of Americans consider private voting a fundamental right, the idea of eliminating secret ballots in union elections is understandably opposed across the ideological spectrum. So is government involvement in businesses, such as forcing binding arbitration on small businesses and dictating terms of employment without a vote.
That is why, across the ideological spectrum -- from Republicans like Senator Orrin Hatch, to business leaders like Warren Buffet and Jack Welch, to liberal icons such as George McGovern and Al Sharpton -- all oppose the incredibly controversial and unpopular bill, misnamed the Employee “Free” Choice Act (EFCA). Almost every editorial board across the country has editorialized against the bill.
So how does one explain the constant efforts on the part of some leaders in Congress to push what is better known as the Employee “Forced” Choice Act?
Well, “follow the money” as the old adage says.
A new report released by the Workforce Fairness Institute (WFI) demonstrates how enactment of EFCA would generate a significant increase in labor union spending on political activity and presumably, a new flow of political contributions to the supporters of union bosses and their agenda.
This is plain and simple, a payoff to Big Labor bosses. Unions spent approximately $400 million in last year’s elections. Now, like so many other political players representing a special interest, they are asking for a bailout and government assistance in generating a major wealth transfer from American employers to the coffers of union executives.
According to the report, passage of EFCA could add at least $1.7 billion (in 2009 dollars) in additional political spending by labor unions over a 10-year period. This amount is based on a union projection of increases in total membership and the resulting union dues generated from that increase with a small percentage going to political activity.
Union bosses have said that EFCA would generate millions of new members. The head of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) estimated an additional 1.5 million new dues-paying union members every year for at least 10 years if EFCA is passed.
A recent estimate of the average union dues among the top 15 unions by Labor Notes suggests that as of 2004, dues amounted to $377 in 2004, or about $425 in today’s dollars. According to the United Auto Workers (UAW), dues for a typical autoworker were $552 as of 2000, or about $682 in today’s dollars. Using membership growth of 1.5 million per year and the lower average dues estimate ($425), enactment of EFCA would increase union receipts by $637,500,000 per year.
In addition to this increase in political spending, if the Employee ‘Forced’ Choice Act was enacted, union bosses would have access to an additional $35 billion over the next 10 years for any range of activities.
And who pays the price? Workers do.
It is entirely possible that workers could end up in a union they didn’t get to vote on, abiding by a contract that they didn’t get to vote on. And in that contract would be union dues the worker would be obligated to pay, and with those funds, union bosses would engage in political activities, whether the employee agrees with it or not.
So, now we know what the Big Labor bosses expect for their $400 million investment in the 2008 elections – $35 billion in return. Not a bad return on investment and certainly not something the average citizen would ever see.
Simply stated, the Employee ‘Forced’ Choice Act is legislation that should never become law. This report by WFI provides an eye-opening view of what our future holds if we allow Congress to place the interests of their own political benefactors – the union bosses – above the rights and freedoms of the everyday, hardworking American small businesses and their workers.
by Katie Packer
Since the vast majority of Americans consider private voting a fundamental right, the idea of eliminating secret ballots in union elections is understandably opposed across the ideological spectrum. So is government involvement in businesses, such as forcing binding arbitration on small businesses and dictating terms of employment without a vote.
That is why, across the ideological spectrum -- from Republicans like Senator Orrin Hatch, to business leaders like Warren Buffet and Jack Welch, to liberal icons such as George McGovern and Al Sharpton -- all oppose the incredibly controversial and unpopular bill, misnamed the Employee “Free” Choice Act (EFCA). Almost every editorial board across the country has editorialized against the bill.
So how does one explain the constant efforts on the part of some leaders in Congress to push what is better known as the Employee “Forced” Choice Act?
Well, “follow the money” as the old adage says.
A new report released by the Workforce Fairness Institute (WFI) demonstrates how enactment of EFCA would generate a significant increase in labor union spending on political activity and presumably, a new flow of political contributions to the supporters of union bosses and their agenda.
This is plain and simple, a payoff to Big Labor bosses. Unions spent approximately $400 million in last year’s elections. Now, like so many other political players representing a special interest, they are asking for a bailout and government assistance in generating a major wealth transfer from American employers to the coffers of union executives.
According to the report, passage of EFCA could add at least $1.7 billion (in 2009 dollars) in additional political spending by labor unions over a 10-year period. This amount is based on a union projection of increases in total membership and the resulting union dues generated from that increase with a small percentage going to political activity.
Union bosses have said that EFCA would generate millions of new members. The head of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) estimated an additional 1.5 million new dues-paying union members every year for at least 10 years if EFCA is passed.
A recent estimate of the average union dues among the top 15 unions by Labor Notes suggests that as of 2004, dues amounted to $377 in 2004, or about $425 in today’s dollars. According to the United Auto Workers (UAW), dues for a typical autoworker were $552 as of 2000, or about $682 in today’s dollars. Using membership growth of 1.5 million per year and the lower average dues estimate ($425), enactment of EFCA would increase union receipts by $637,500,000 per year.
In addition to this increase in political spending, if the Employee ‘Forced’ Choice Act was enacted, union bosses would have access to an additional $35 billion over the next 10 years for any range of activities.
And who pays the price? Workers do.
It is entirely possible that workers could end up in a union they didn’t get to vote on, abiding by a contract that they didn’t get to vote on. And in that contract would be union dues the worker would be obligated to pay, and with those funds, union bosses would engage in political activities, whether the employee agrees with it or not.
So, now we know what the Big Labor bosses expect for their $400 million investment in the 2008 elections – $35 billion in return. Not a bad return on investment and certainly not something the average citizen would ever see.
Simply stated, the Employee ‘Forced’ Choice Act is legislation that should never become law. This report by WFI provides an eye-opening view of what our future holds if we allow Congress to place the interests of their own political benefactors – the union bosses – above the rights and freedoms of the everyday, hardworking American small businesses and their workers.
KATIE PACKER
The Employee 'Forced' Choice Act (EFCA)
Katie Packer, 07.08.09, 12:51 PM EDT
If it passes, unions stand to gain $35 billion.
In the nation's capital--a town that lives and breathes politics--there are a number of issues capturing the attention of elected officials and their staffs at any given time.
And while each of the issues is important to a particular group, the job of elected leadership is to deliver results that improve the state of the country and represent the interests of the citizens who placed them in a position of authority.
Yahoo! BuzzThis principle rings true irrespective of the political party in power. This certainly is the case concerning legislation before Congress, which would seriously damage our economy and eliminate worker rights while rewarding union bosses, under the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA).
Small-business owners and other business leaders have worked together to promote the importance of protections afforded workers through secret ballots in union organizing elections and stressed that eliminating the right to a secret ballot would expose employees to intimidation and coercion. We have also worked hard to ensure that people in power understand that mandatory, binding arbitration would simultaneously take away the right of a worker to make decisions regarding their own terms of employment, while at the same time removing an employer's ability to run their own business, placing these decisions in the hands of government-appointed bureaucrats with no knowledge of specific industries or marketplaces.
We have seen research, which demonstrates that jobs would be lost as a result of the passage of EFCA; as many as 600,000 jobs in the first year alone would be shed according to a report presented by Anne Layne-Farrar of LECG Consulting. We have also seen polling data, which indicates there is little public support for what should really be called the "Employee Forced Choice Act." And we have seen the example of Canada, where similar legislation was reversed in provinces, due to the disastrous results of their own version of the "EFCA" experiment.
So one has to ask, why does Congress continue to consider legislation that the small-business community, employers and employees alike, oppose? Why would officials elected to represent the interests of the citizens in their district support a bill that takes away the rights of working Americans and results in job loss?
WHITE HOUSE - (202) 224-3121
Katie Packer, 07.08.09, 12:51 PM EDT
If it passes, unions stand to gain $35 billion.
In the nation's capital--a town that lives and breathes politics--there are a number of issues capturing the attention of elected officials and their staffs at any given time.
And while each of the issues is important to a particular group, the job of elected leadership is to deliver results that improve the state of the country and represent the interests of the citizens who placed them in a position of authority.
Yahoo! BuzzThis principle rings true irrespective of the political party in power. This certainly is the case concerning legislation before Congress, which would seriously damage our economy and eliminate worker rights while rewarding union bosses, under the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA).
Small-business owners and other business leaders have worked together to promote the importance of protections afforded workers through secret ballots in union organizing elections and stressed that eliminating the right to a secret ballot would expose employees to intimidation and coercion. We have also worked hard to ensure that people in power understand that mandatory, binding arbitration would simultaneously take away the right of a worker to make decisions regarding their own terms of employment, while at the same time removing an employer's ability to run their own business, placing these decisions in the hands of government-appointed bureaucrats with no knowledge of specific industries or marketplaces.
We have seen research, which demonstrates that jobs would be lost as a result of the passage of EFCA; as many as 600,000 jobs in the first year alone would be shed according to a report presented by Anne Layne-Farrar of LECG Consulting. We have also seen polling data, which indicates there is little public support for what should really be called the "Employee Forced Choice Act." And we have seen the example of Canada, where similar legislation was reversed in provinces, due to the disastrous results of their own version of the "EFCA" experiment.
So one has to ask, why does Congress continue to consider legislation that the small-business community, employers and employees alike, oppose? Why would officials elected to represent the interests of the citizens in their district support a bill that takes away the rights of working Americans and results in job loss?
WHITE HOUSE - (202) 224-3121
FROM TOWNHALL
Union Bosses & Their Supporters On Capitol Hill Put The Lame In Lame Duck
Email Katie Gage
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As if Big Labor hasn’t already squeezed enough out of Congress with payoffs upon payoffs, they are now positioning themselves for one last-ditch effort to achieve the mother of all gifts, the job-killing Employee ‘Forced’ Choice Act (EFCA).
One of the biggest impediments to economic recovery is the uneasy feeling small businesses and employers are sensing across the country. Over the past 18 months, President Obama and some Members of Congress have injected a large measure of uncertainty into the economy through the introduction of controversial new laws, contentious administration appointments and deeply disturbing Executive Orders favoring political donors like the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), among others.
Unfortunately, a measure of stability that our economy should finally be able to count on remains elusive, even as the sun beings to set on the 111th Congress. Instead of finally being able to breathe a sigh of relief that EFCA – the most radical change to labor law in generations, possibly in history – will not come about, we’re forced to brace for what could be one of the most brazen free-for-all lame duck sessions in recent memory.
Lame duck sessions occur after an election has taken place and they usually focus on specific, bipartisan, non-controversial pieces of legislation that were not able to receive sufficient consideration during the regularly scheduled session.
Instead, union boss advocates like Senator Tom Harkin appear to be planning a strategy to ignore the will of the people at the ballot box and attempt to reward their political benefactors in a lame duck session with a bailout for Big Labor bosses at the expense of small businesses and jobs.
Harkin, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) stated, “To those who think [EFCA’s] dead, I say think again … We’re still trying to maneuver … A lot of things can happen in a lame duck session, too.” In spite of a series of questionable comments on Harkin’s part in recent months, his threats have to be taken seriously as he is the chairman of the corresponding committee and in close communication with his national union boss buddies.
But Harkin should proceed with great caution as he will be putting senators up for re-election in 2012 in a precarious position. The reality is that EFCA is incredibly unpopular across the country and candidates who have decided to stand with labor bosses over workers have run and lost. One needs to look no further than Bill Halter to understand the fate that will befall candidates ignoring the will of the people.
The members of Harkin’s caucus understand the Employee ‘Forced’ Choice Act benefits Big Labor, while it hurts workers and small businesses. During a lame duck, these newly, in-cycle candidates would most likely show very little enthusiasm in support of job-killing legislation, just as many of their colleagues up for election and re-election this cycle have done.
And the reality is that the 111th Congress and Obama Administration have already been a boon to Big Labor. In February, Congress passed a health care plan only after exempting labor unions from many of its provisions.
Then in March, President Obama appointed former labor lawyer and radical Craig Becker to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Becker was promptly mired in controversy for failing to recuse himself in the face of an obvious conflict of interest in a case involving one of his former employers, the SEIU.
Make no mistake, Becker’s appointment was controversial due to the fact his nomination was unable to receive sufficient bipartisan support in the U.S. Senate resulting in a recess appointment.
There are literally dozens of examples of special treatment for national labor unions at the hands of those in power and at the expense of the American people. But Becker’s appointment is illustrative of the lengths those in Washington will go to in an effort to “payback” their friends in Big Labor.
That means, the business community must remain vigilant and cannot take anything for granted. We must hold our elected officials responsible for their words and deeds ensuring they understand that supporting the forced unionization of America’s small businesses would be the equivalent of a death sentence to their political careers.
But the stakes couldn’t be higher for small businesses across the country as the Employee ‘Forced’ Choice Act would force them to lay off workers and shut their doors. Taking away the secret ballot and allowing the government to mandate contracts on employees and employers alike without their consent doesn’t make sense in a good economy and in a bad one, the threat alone increases uncertainty, which results in less jobs and economic development.
Congress has the opportunity to do what they know is right, permanently table the job-killing EFCA legislation. Any attempts to bring it up leading into the midterm elections or shortly thereafter in a lame duck session of Congress would only expose more candidates to the fate met by others who have decided to stand with union bosses over their constituents, certain failure.
Katie Gage
Katie Gage is the executive director of the Workforce Fairness institute.
Email Katie Gage
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As if Big Labor hasn’t already squeezed enough out of Congress with payoffs upon payoffs, they are now positioning themselves for one last-ditch effort to achieve the mother of all gifts, the job-killing Employee ‘Forced’ Choice Act (EFCA).
One of the biggest impediments to economic recovery is the uneasy feeling small businesses and employers are sensing across the country. Over the past 18 months, President Obama and some Members of Congress have injected a large measure of uncertainty into the economy through the introduction of controversial new laws, contentious administration appointments and deeply disturbing Executive Orders favoring political donors like the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), among others.
Unfortunately, a measure of stability that our economy should finally be able to count on remains elusive, even as the sun beings to set on the 111th Congress. Instead of finally being able to breathe a sigh of relief that EFCA – the most radical change to labor law in generations, possibly in history – will not come about, we’re forced to brace for what could be one of the most brazen free-for-all lame duck sessions in recent memory.
Lame duck sessions occur after an election has taken place and they usually focus on specific, bipartisan, non-controversial pieces of legislation that were not able to receive sufficient consideration during the regularly scheduled session.
Instead, union boss advocates like Senator Tom Harkin appear to be planning a strategy to ignore the will of the people at the ballot box and attempt to reward their political benefactors in a lame duck session with a bailout for Big Labor bosses at the expense of small businesses and jobs.
Harkin, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) stated, “To those who think [EFCA’s] dead, I say think again … We’re still trying to maneuver … A lot of things can happen in a lame duck session, too.” In spite of a series of questionable comments on Harkin’s part in recent months, his threats have to be taken seriously as he is the chairman of the corresponding committee and in close communication with his national union boss buddies.
But Harkin should proceed with great caution as he will be putting senators up for re-election in 2012 in a precarious position. The reality is that EFCA is incredibly unpopular across the country and candidates who have decided to stand with labor bosses over workers have run and lost. One needs to look no further than Bill Halter to understand the fate that will befall candidates ignoring the will of the people.
The members of Harkin’s caucus understand the Employee ‘Forced’ Choice Act benefits Big Labor, while it hurts workers and small businesses. During a lame duck, these newly, in-cycle candidates would most likely show very little enthusiasm in support of job-killing legislation, just as many of their colleagues up for election and re-election this cycle have done.
And the reality is that the 111th Congress and Obama Administration have already been a boon to Big Labor. In February, Congress passed a health care plan only after exempting labor unions from many of its provisions.
Then in March, President Obama appointed former labor lawyer and radical Craig Becker to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Becker was promptly mired in controversy for failing to recuse himself in the face of an obvious conflict of interest in a case involving one of his former employers, the SEIU.
Make no mistake, Becker’s appointment was controversial due to the fact his nomination was unable to receive sufficient bipartisan support in the U.S. Senate resulting in a recess appointment.
There are literally dozens of examples of special treatment for national labor unions at the hands of those in power and at the expense of the American people. But Becker’s appointment is illustrative of the lengths those in Washington will go to in an effort to “payback” their friends in Big Labor.
That means, the business community must remain vigilant and cannot take anything for granted. We must hold our elected officials responsible for their words and deeds ensuring they understand that supporting the forced unionization of America’s small businesses would be the equivalent of a death sentence to their political careers.
But the stakes couldn’t be higher for small businesses across the country as the Employee ‘Forced’ Choice Act would force them to lay off workers and shut their doors. Taking away the secret ballot and allowing the government to mandate contracts on employees and employers alike without their consent doesn’t make sense in a good economy and in a bad one, the threat alone increases uncertainty, which results in less jobs and economic development.
Congress has the opportunity to do what they know is right, permanently table the job-killing EFCA legislation. Any attempts to bring it up leading into the midterm elections or shortly thereafter in a lame duck session of Congress would only expose more candidates to the fate met by others who have decided to stand with union bosses over their constituents, certain failure.
Katie Gage
Katie Gage is the executive director of the Workforce Fairness institute.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
FROM ONE NEWS NOW/AFA
Beck rally signals trouble for Democrats
Philip Elliott - Associated Press Writer - 8/29/2010 5:55:00 AMWASHINGTON – If Democrats had doubts about the voter unrest that threatens to rob them of their majority in Congress, they needed only look from the Capitol this weekend to the opposite end of the National Mall.
It's where Ken Ratliff joined tens of thousands of other anti-government activists at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial for conservative commentator Glenn Beck's "Restoring Honor" rally.
"There's gotta' be a change, man," said Ratliff, a 55-year-old Marine veteran from Rochester, N.Y.
Neither Democrats nor Republicans can afford to ignore the antiestablishment fervor displayed Saturday during Beck's rally that took on the tone of an evangelical revival.
Billed as a nonpolitical event, it nevertheless was a clarifying moment for those curious as to what clout an anti-Washington sentiment could have on midterm congressional elections in November. The gathering was advertised as an opportunity to honor American troops. But it also illustrated voters' exasperation — and provided additional evidence that Democrats in power — as well as some incumbent Republicans — may pay the price when voters go to the polls.
The tea party is essentially a loosely organized band of anti-tax, libertarian-leaning political newcomers who are fed up with Washington and take some of their cues from Beck. While the movement drew early skepticism from establishment Republicans, these same GOP powerbrokers now watch it with a wary eye as activists have mounted successful primary campaigns against incumbents.
The Beck rally further demonstrated the tea party activists' growing political clout.
If the GOP is able to contain and cooperate with the tea party, and recharge its evangelical wing with Beck-style talk of faith, it spells the kind of change Ratliff and others like him are searching for.
The promise of change helped President Barack Obama win the White House in 2008, but could turn against his fellow Democrats this year. Americans' dim view of the economy has grown even more pessimistic this summer as the nation's unemployment rate stubbornly hovered near 10 percent and other troubling economic statistics have emerged on everything from housing to the economy's growth.
That's been a drag on both congressional Democrats and the president. While Obama has shelved his soaring campaign rhetoric on change, Beck has adopted it.
At Saturday's rally, the Fox News Channel personality borrowed Obama's rhetoric of individual empowerment from one of the then-candidate's favorite themes on the 2008 campaign trail.
"One man can change the world," Beck told the crowd. "That man or woman is you. You make the difference."
Or change Washington. And while Beck didn't say so, that means change the party in power.
His followers got the message.
"A lot of people want our country back," said Janice Cantor. She was raised a Massachusetts Democrat and is now a North Carolina tea party activist.
Beck's religion-laden message was a departure from most tea party events, which tend to focus on economic issues.
Beck, who speaks openly about his Christian faith on his radio and cable news shows, relied heavily on religion during his speech, perhaps offering up a playbook for tea party activists and Republicans this November.
Earlier, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin urged the gathering to change the course of the nation, although she said "sometimes our challenges seem insurmountable."
"Look around you," she told the crowd. "You're not alone."
Philip Elliott - Associated Press Writer - 8/29/2010 5:55:00 AMWASHINGTON – If Democrats had doubts about the voter unrest that threatens to rob them of their majority in Congress, they needed only look from the Capitol this weekend to the opposite end of the National Mall.
It's where Ken Ratliff joined tens of thousands of other anti-government activists at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial for conservative commentator Glenn Beck's "Restoring Honor" rally.
"There's gotta' be a change, man," said Ratliff, a 55-year-old Marine veteran from Rochester, N.Y.
Neither Democrats nor Republicans can afford to ignore the antiestablishment fervor displayed Saturday during Beck's rally that took on the tone of an evangelical revival.
Billed as a nonpolitical event, it nevertheless was a clarifying moment for those curious as to what clout an anti-Washington sentiment could have on midterm congressional elections in November. The gathering was advertised as an opportunity to honor American troops. But it also illustrated voters' exasperation — and provided additional evidence that Democrats in power — as well as some incumbent Republicans — may pay the price when voters go to the polls.
The tea party is essentially a loosely organized band of anti-tax, libertarian-leaning political newcomers who are fed up with Washington and take some of their cues from Beck. While the movement drew early skepticism from establishment Republicans, these same GOP powerbrokers now watch it with a wary eye as activists have mounted successful primary campaigns against incumbents.
The Beck rally further demonstrated the tea party activists' growing political clout.
If the GOP is able to contain and cooperate with the tea party, and recharge its evangelical wing with Beck-style talk of faith, it spells the kind of change Ratliff and others like him are searching for.
The promise of change helped President Barack Obama win the White House in 2008, but could turn against his fellow Democrats this year. Americans' dim view of the economy has grown even more pessimistic this summer as the nation's unemployment rate stubbornly hovered near 10 percent and other troubling economic statistics have emerged on everything from housing to the economy's growth.
That's been a drag on both congressional Democrats and the president. While Obama has shelved his soaring campaign rhetoric on change, Beck has adopted it.
At Saturday's rally, the Fox News Channel personality borrowed Obama's rhetoric of individual empowerment from one of the then-candidate's favorite themes on the 2008 campaign trail.
"One man can change the world," Beck told the crowd. "That man or woman is you. You make the difference."
Or change Washington. And while Beck didn't say so, that means change the party in power.
His followers got the message.
"A lot of people want our country back," said Janice Cantor. She was raised a Massachusetts Democrat and is now a North Carolina tea party activist.
Beck's religion-laden message was a departure from most tea party events, which tend to focus on economic issues.
Beck, who speaks openly about his Christian faith on his radio and cable news shows, relied heavily on religion during his speech, perhaps offering up a playbook for tea party activists and Republicans this November.
Earlier, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin urged the gathering to change the course of the nation, although she said "sometimes our challenges seem insurmountable."
"Look around you," she told the crowd. "You're not alone."
NOT FINISHED YET!
We need a new button, t-shirt, bumper sticker, or cap that reads...NFY! It stands for Not Finished Yet!
Regardless of the label people put on you (senior, baby-boomer, retired person), regardless of the number of birthdays you've celebrated, you are still here. And as long as you are here, you are not there, and as long as you are not there, it means God still has a purpose for you here.
When Jesus was on the cross, the last thing He said was, "It is finished." After He made that statement He died. When is God's purpose for you on this earth finished? It is finished when you die... until then, you are not finished yet! NFY!
Does the thought of getting older discourage you or make you fearful? Consider these words the Lord spoke to Isaiah: I will be your God throughout your lifetime--until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. Isaiah 46:4 NLT
By Roy Lessin, DaySpring co-founder and writer.
Regardless of the label people put on you (senior, baby-boomer, retired person), regardless of the number of birthdays you've celebrated, you are still here. And as long as you are here, you are not there, and as long as you are not there, it means God still has a purpose for you here.
When Jesus was on the cross, the last thing He said was, "It is finished." After He made that statement He died. When is God's purpose for you on this earth finished? It is finished when you die... until then, you are not finished yet! NFY!
Does the thought of getting older discourage you or make you fearful? Consider these words the Lord spoke to Isaiah: I will be your God throughout your lifetime--until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. Isaiah 46:4 NLT
By Roy Lessin, DaySpring co-founder and writer.
BUCHANAN TO OBAMA
Finally............It is Said Publicly. I have never seen the white side explained better! Pat Buchanan had the guts to say it. It is about time.
BUCHANAN TO OBAMA
By Patrick J. Buchanan
Barack says we need to have a conversation about race in America .. Fair
enough. But this time, it has to be a two-way conversation.. White
America needs to be heard from, not just lectured to.... This time, the Silent Majority needs to have its convictions, grievances and demands heard. And among them are these:
First,
America has been the best country on earth for black folks. It was here that 600,000 black people, brought from Africa in slave ships, grew into a community of 40 million, were introduced to Christian salvation, and reached the greatest levels of freedom and prosperity blacks have ever known.. Wright ought to go down on his knees and thank God he is an American.
Second,
no people anywhere has done more to lift up blacks than white Americans. Untold trillions have been spent since the ' 60s on welfare,
food stamps, rent supplements, Section 8 housing, Pell grants, student loans, legal services, Medicaid, Earned Income Tax Credits and poverty programs designed to bring the African-American community into the mainstream. Governments, businesses and colleges have engaged in discrimination against white folks -- with affirmative action, contract set-asides and quotas -- to advance black applicants over white applicants. Churches, foundations, civic groups, schools and individuals all over America have donated their time and money to support soup kitchens, adult education, day care, retirement and nursing homes for blacks.
We hear the grievances. Where is the gratitude??
Barack talks about new 'ladders of opportunity' for blacks. Let him go to Altoona ? And Johnstown , and ask the white kids in Catholic schools how many were visited lately by Ivy League recruiters handing out scholarships for 'deserving' white kids...? Is white America really responsible for the fact that the crime and incarceration rates for
African-Americans are seven times those of white America ? Is it really white America 's fault that illegitimacy in the African-American
community has hit 70 percent and the black dropout rate from high schools in some cities has reached 50 percent?
Is that the fault of white America or, first and foremost, a failure of the black community itself?
As for racism, its ugliest manifestation is in interracial crime, and especially interracial crimes of violence. Is Barack Obama aware that
while white criminals choose black victims 3 percent of the time, black criminals choose white victims 45 percent of the time?
Is Barack aware that black-on-white rapes are 100 times more common than the reverse, that black-on-white robberies were 139 times as common in the first three years of this decade as the reverse?
We have all heard ad nauseam from the Rev. Al about Tawana Brawley, the Duke rape case and Jena . And all turned out to be hoaxes. But about the epidemic of black assaults on whites that are real, we hear nothing.
Sorry, Barack, some of us have heard it all before, about 40 years and 40 trillion tax dollars ago. This needs to be passed around because, this is a message everyone needs to hear!!!
OK........... will you pass it on ?
YES. I did but will you?
Because I'm for a better America
I am
Not racist,
Not violent,
Just not silent anymore.
Aerial view of Lubbock, TX airport
It would be hard to land in Lubbock , Texas and not see this..
VIEW WHEN PLANES LAND AT LUBBOCK, TX AIRPORT
How very unique! Somebody went to a lot of trouble..That took a lot of ingenuity, time, and ability.. Look at the 2nd picture and compare the
message size with the farm house and adjoining buildings etc.. The picture is actually huge! VIEWWHEN PLANES LAND AT LUBBOCK, TX AIRPORT:
The farmer who owns the field made the images ..... it's near the airport so all of the planes coming and going can see the message.
It would be hard to land in Lubbock , Texas and not see this..
VIEW WHEN PLANES LAND AT LUBBOCK, TX AIRPORT
How very unique! Somebody went to a lot of trouble..That took a lot of ingenuity, time, and ability.. Look at the 2nd picture and compare the
message size with the farm house and adjoining buildings etc.. The picture is actually huge! VIEWWHEN PLANES LAND AT LUBBOCK, TX AIRPORT:
The farmer who owns the field made the images ..... it's near the airport so all of the planes coming and going can see the message.
HIGHEST FAITH THAT GROWS OUT OF LOVE
Highest Faith That Grows Out of Love
Such as a child loves his mother. There is that deep affection, that the child knows their mother. The child admires, revere, & loves their mom. The child feels perfectly safe in his mothers arms. He child knows that his mom will protect him. This is a deep affection we should have for Christ.
We become led by the Holy Spirit to accept the Father God, & Jesus Christ. Once we become saved Jesus Christ gives us direction. We know Jesus Christ and we admire, revere, & love Him. We feel perfectly safe in His hands/arms!!
We need to take & actually try the promises of the Bible. The promises of the Bible are the GOD'S WORD given to us. It's His Word, His promises. Not just a book, it's the living WORD. The LIVING PROMISES OF GOD!! As a child take & try it out! Prove God's Word, His Promises. Then after one you will see the promises are tried & true!!
Start out as the child & grow into a knowledgeable person of God. To know faith & to let your faith grow. Believe in God's love & His promises. Faith has the power of working by love. And God loves us. Remember He sent His Son for you & me. Jesus Christ shed His Blood because HE LOVED US.
Change your affection & love as a Child of God.
Begin to give the Holy Spirit a place in your heart & life. The life that God has planned. Ask God the Father to work through you & then be still before God & listen to what He has to say. He is in you, Grow with Him. Allow His promises to work. HAVE HIS WORK BEGIN IN YOU & THROUGH YOU!
Reverence His temple in spirit & body; as your body & spirit is His Holy Temple. Let the consciousness of His Holy presence work & fill you with a calm reverence. Become what God has called you to be in Christ through His Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit will work in you.
Go and prove that God's written Word is Living, True, & that God Promises are for today as they were in Jesus Christ days. He never changes!! And He is Always there!!
God's Bible/Word is filled with Promises. BELIEVE
Believe - means to a firm religious faith, to accept as true genuine or real, to have a firm conviction as to the goodness efficacy; or ability of something.
From Merriam - Webster's Collegiate Dictionary - Eleventh Edition
Such as a child loves his mother. There is that deep affection, that the child knows their mother. The child admires, revere, & loves their mom. The child feels perfectly safe in his mothers arms. He child knows that his mom will protect him. This is a deep affection we should have for Christ.
We become led by the Holy Spirit to accept the Father God, & Jesus Christ. Once we become saved Jesus Christ gives us direction. We know Jesus Christ and we admire, revere, & love Him. We feel perfectly safe in His hands/arms!!
We need to take & actually try the promises of the Bible. The promises of the Bible are the GOD'S WORD given to us. It's His Word, His promises. Not just a book, it's the living WORD. The LIVING PROMISES OF GOD!! As a child take & try it out! Prove God's Word, His Promises. Then after one you will see the promises are tried & true!!
Start out as the child & grow into a knowledgeable person of God. To know faith & to let your faith grow. Believe in God's love & His promises. Faith has the power of working by love. And God loves us. Remember He sent His Son for you & me. Jesus Christ shed His Blood because HE LOVED US.
Change your affection & love as a Child of God.
Begin to give the Holy Spirit a place in your heart & life. The life that God has planned. Ask God the Father to work through you & then be still before God & listen to what He has to say. He is in you, Grow with Him. Allow His promises to work. HAVE HIS WORK BEGIN IN YOU & THROUGH YOU!
Reverence His temple in spirit & body; as your body & spirit is His Holy Temple. Let the consciousness of His Holy presence work & fill you with a calm reverence. Become what God has called you to be in Christ through His Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit will work in you.
Go and prove that God's written Word is Living, True, & that God Promises are for today as they were in Jesus Christ days. He never changes!! And He is Always there!!
God's Bible/Word is filled with Promises. BELIEVE
Believe - means to a firm religious faith, to accept as true genuine or real, to have a firm conviction as to the goodness efficacy; or ability of something.
From Merriam - Webster's Collegiate Dictionary - Eleventh Edition
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